City Fighting Rogue Crosswalks

After five rogue crosswalks were painted in Tacoma, WA, the city announced its plans to arrest and prosecute anyone caught in the act.

The mysterious intersection painting has happened at least twice in the last month.

King 5 News / Facebook

Calling themselves the "Citzens for a Safer Tacoma," the group said it is willing to break the law to provide safety for the city's residents.

"None of us want to go to jail, but we're more dedicated to the safety of citizens than we are to the law," an anonymous spokesperson for the group behind the crosswalks, "Citizens for a Safer Tacoma," told King 5 News.

Crosswalks are a 'Headache'

Tacoma police said that at least 15 members of the group had previously been hit by cars and were turned away after asking the city for help.

"It's been a headache," said Kurtis Kingsolver, Interim Public Works Director.

According to The News Tribune, an unauthorized bicycle lane marking and a few angled parking spaces were also painted along with the crosswalk.

A group of business owners in the area of the rogue crosswalks had recently met with the city's traffic engineer to request a four-way stop or blinking light at one busy intersection, but public works officials told them the changes were not warranted and would do more harm than good.

Cost and Quips

The city spends $1,000 each time they have to get rid of a random crosswalk. Plus, the city says it's a safety issue.

i.feedtacoma.com

The City of Tacoma plans to arrest and prosecute anyone caught painting crosswalks after a crop of them randomly popped up over night.

"They're different colors, some of them were circles, they weren't really a crosswalk," Kingsolver said. He told KOMO News that at least one of the crosswalks was painted crooked, leading pedestrians into oncoming traffic.

It also costs $1,000 to install a crosswalk, which must first meet federal guidelines.

Several locals have taken to social media to speak out on the issue.

"I find it interesting that there's 'no money' for crosswalks, but then they magically find the money in order to paint over the crosswalks!" Rebecca DeLange commented on King 5 News' Facebook page.

"How dare you try to cross the street safely! We would rather have you hit by a car than defy your government masters!" Aaron Wells commented.

Another commenter, Kari Fox Curulla Hahn, suggested,"Why don't they teach them how to properly paint them and let them do the work under supervision—as volunteers.